Easel



30, 1939- M. E. EVANS ET AL 2.160.456

EASEL 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 26, 1937 May 30, 1939. M. E EVANS ET AL 2,160,456

EASEL 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 26, 1957 lNVENTOR MOPTO/V E. EVA/VS ATTORNE AND WAYNE 6. EVA/V5.

Patented May 30, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT, OFFICE phia, Pa., assignors, by mesne assignments, to

National Carbon Company, Inc., a corporation of New York Application June 26, 1937, Serial No. 150,582

11 Claims.

The object of the invention is to provide improvements in easels broadly, but more particularly in a simple type which is especially adapted for maintaining in open or extended position, and

operatively supporting, posters and similar display or advertising material in the form of a flexible web or sheet, this application being a continuation-impart of Serial No. 140,444, filed May 3, 1937.

The copending application of Alfred J.'Housman and Wayne 8. Evans, Serial No. 156,496, filed July 30, 1937, for Folding easel, discloses and broadly claims an easel comprising channeled ribs of the type commonly used in the manufacture of umbrella frames. An object of this invention is to provide an improved easel comprising ribs of this type.

Another and more specific object is to provide an easel which can be produced at relatively low cost, and towards that end can be readily fashioned from such pieces of metal, as the channeled ribs commonly used in the manufacture of umbrella frames, and wires or rods of round, oval, tubular, or other type of curviform crosssection, and which by being flattened, reduced,

I or otherwise altered, in cross section at a given locality can have their flexibility localized throughout such altered area.

A further object is to provide an easel which can be shipped in the smallest possible space,

and which also lends itself to being made in sections, which when disassembled can be shipped in a. so-called mailing tube of very small diameter and of minimum weight and length.

Still another object is to provide a modified form of easel, comprising an element of curviform cross section, having a flattened or thinned or otherwise altered or distorted portion or section of proportionately increased flexibility, the opposite ends of which, or extensions of such ends, are adapted for attachment to a sheet or other article to be stretched and/or supported in substantially upright position, together with a brace member attached to said element upon one side or the other of said flattened or otherwise altered section, and normally cooperating with an extraneous supporting surface, to increase the stability of the easel when insubstantially upright operative position.

And still again, in the event that an easel element is employed, such as the usual umbrella rib bf U-shaped cross-section, and such element is flattened to increase and localize the major portion of flexibility of the same, and it is, furthermore, desired to add to such section a definite degree of increased resiliency, an object is to provide for the addition to said first section an auxiliary section of known resiliency, the end portions of said last-mentioned section being secured to said first-mentioned section, as for in- 5 stance as by means of a plurality of bands, or by means of a rivet, spotweld, or the like, at one point and one or more bands spaced from such point, to provide for one section shifting longitudinally with respect to the other, as they are 10 flexed in unison.

With the objects thus briefly stated, the invention comprises further details of construction and operation, which are hereinafter fully brought out in the following description, when 15 read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an easel, comprising one embodiment of the invention, in combination with a poster or the like in the form of a flexible web or sheet operatively 2) supportedthereby; Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view of the uppermost end portion of said easel: Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-4 of Fig. i; Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a a modified form in which the brace is attached to and comprises a normal angular extension of the upwardly directed leg of the easel element; Fig. 6 is a similar view of a. form in which the brace is attached to and comprises a normal angular so extension of the lower or substantially horizontally extending leg of said easel element; Fig. 7 is a fragmentary side elevation of the flattened and/or thinned section of the easel element, with an auxiliary resilient section attached thereto, and both of said sections extending in inoperative inert form; and Fig. 8 is a similar view of the same after having been flexed, as when in normal operative position and relationship in a complete easel. w

Referring to Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4, the easel comprising the first and most simplified form consists of two (or more) sections of preferably but slightly flexible channeled sheet metal construction, similar to that which is commonly used in a the manufacture of umbrella frames. The first or base section preferably comprises a lower channezed portion I, and a generally upwardly extending channeled portion 2, which portions are connected together by a preferably flattened w and relatively much more flexible intervening portion 3, for the purpose of localizing the region of principal curvature of such section as a whole. The forward end I of the lower channeled portion I is flattened and bent angularly downwardiy and is adapted to detachably engage any well-known form of transversely extending member 5, which is attached to and transversely stifiens the adjacent end portion of a usually relatively flexible, normally planar web or sheet 6, such as a lithographed or printed poster, or a screen for receiving projected pictures or the like.

Said lower section as a whole is in use bent into a substantial L shape, as indicated in Fig. 1, and its upper end is provided with a transversely U-shaped sleeve I, into the free end of which is adapted to slide for detachable engagement therewith, the lower end of the upper portion 8, said upper portion also being channeled to provide'but limited flexibility, as compared with the flattened portion 3, above referred to, while the opposite or uppermost free end of said upper section is flattened and bent at 9, quite similarly to the bent flattened portion 4, in order to detachably engage a transversely extending member III, which is secured to the upper edge portion of said web or sheet 6, for the purpose of stiffening the adjacent portion of the same transversely.

From this construction it will be obvious that this simple form of ease] provides, in combination with the lower stiffening member 5, the equivalent of a three-point support for the web or sheet 6, suiflcient to maintain such web or sheet in generally upright position and to prevent the same from tilting or falling laterally to one side or the other, forwardly or rearwardly, since the distance between the laterally opposite ends of the stiffening member 5 will prevent said web or sheet from tilting laterally, while the weight of the easel will tend to prevent said web or sheet from falling forwardly, and will, likewise, prevent it from falling rearwardly, by virtue of the fact that the easel is interposed between said web or sheet and the supporting surface H upon which it rests.

when it is desired to store and/or ship such improved easel, either alone or in combination with the sheet or web 6, the easel as a whole is contracted so as to permit the withdrawal of its opposite flattened end portions 4 and 9 from the respective stiffening members 5 and ill, after which the ease] is permitted to assume its natural rectilinear position and the upper and lower portions 8 and i, respectively, are separated at the telescoping connector sleeve 1, after which the separated sections can be laid side by side and inserted into a very slender mailing tube or the like, either alone, or beside, or rolled within, the flexible web or sheet 6, in the same manner that posters, calendars and the like are commonly mailed.

Referring to Fig. 5, the sheet 35 is shown as being provided with the usual marginal stiffening ribs 36. The easel in this instance comprises a channel-shaped element, having in use upright and substantially horizontal portions 31 and 38, connected together by a flattened portion 39, and the upright portion being in effect extended by means of an extension member 40, telescopically or otherwise connected thereto at 400.. In addition to these parts, said easel comprises a brace member 4|, which comprises a rod or the like secured to and preferably within the U-shaped cross section of the upright portion 31, so that when the easel is operatively positioned with its ends in engagement with the ribs 36, the lower free end portion of said brace extends downwardly in angular relation with respect to the adjacent easel leg, and cooperates with the supporting surface 42 to stabilize both the easel and the sheet 35 supported thereby.

Referring to Fig. 6, the same numerals are given to the several corresponding parts shown in Fig. 5, but the brace H11 in this instance is shown as being attached to the lower leg 38 of the easel, but otherwise performing the same function as hereinbefore described.

Referring to Figs. '7 and 8, the flattened portion 39 is shown as being paralleled by the flattened portion 39a of an auxiliary reinforcing resilient section, the channel-shaped ends 31a and "a. of which are preferably nested within the correspondingly shaped leg portions 31 and ll, and to which they are slidably secured by means of bands 42 or the like, though instead of said bands, one end of said auxiliary section may be fixedly secured as by means of a rivet, spot weld, or the like, while the other end is slidably secured as shown, or a central portion of such auxiliary section may be fixedly secured and the opposite end portions thereof slidably secured, so as to permit said flexible sections to be flexed from the position shown in Fig. 7 to that shown in Fig. 8 and vice versa, while means may also be provided to limit the flexing if desired, as by means of one or more rivets carried by one section being slidable within slots of predetermined length in the other section.

It is to be understood that the details herein disclosed may be varied as to form and arrangement, within the scope of the broad principles of the invention, without departing from the spirit thereof.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. The combination of a first member, withan easel in turn comprising an upright portion and a base portion, said upright and base portions being channeled and connected together by a permanently flattened portion of greater flexibility, adapted vto engage an extraneous supporting surface and cooperate with the bottom of said first member to form a tilt-resisting support for said first member, said upright portion comprising detachable sections, the uppermost of said sections being of substantially the same length as the entire length of the lower-most of said sections, said base portion and said flattened portion combined.

2. The combination of a flexible planar memher with transversely extending stiffening means attached to its upper and lower edges, with an easel in turn comprising an upright portion and a base portion, said upright and base portions being channeled and connected together by a permanently flattened portion of greater flexibility, the freely extending end portions of said upright and base portions being normally detachably connected to said stiffening means, and

said upright portion comprising detachably conto said flexible portion when the upright and base portions are not in use.

4. An easel, comprising an element of U-shaped cross section and having upright and base portions, adapted to extend in alignment with each other when not in use, together with an intermediate distorted flexible portion, and an extension of said base adapted to cooperate with a supporting surface to increase stability, and to nest closely adjacent to said flexible portion when the upright and base portions are not in use.

5. An easel, comprising an element of U-shaped cross section and having relatively upright and horizontal base portions, and to nest closely adjacent to said resilient portion when the upright and base portions are not in use and an extension of said base adapted to rest substantially uniformly upon a supporting surface to increase stability, and to nest closely adjacent to said resilient portion when the upright and base portions are not in use.

6. The combination of a flexible sheet, with edge members attached to opposite edges of the sheet, and an easel in turn comprising a flexible resilient element of curviform cross-section provided with a section of greater flexibility between angularly directed legs, the end portions of which are attached to said edge members, and a brace secured to one of said legs and extending angularly with respect to the other leg, and

- operative to engage a supporting surface to increase the stability of the easel and the sheet carried thereby.

7. The combination of a flexible sheet, with edge members attached to opposite edges of the sheet, and an easel in turn comprising a flexible resilient element having a section of greater flexibility between angularly directed legs, the end portions of which legs are attached to said edge members, and an auxiliary resilient member attached to said section 01 greater flexibility, to add thereto a predetermined degree of additional resiliency. V

8. The combination oi a flexible sheet, with edge members attached to opposite edges of the sheet, and an easel in turn comprising a flexible resilient element of U-shaped cross-section, having a flattened section providing greater flexibility between less flexible angularly directed legs, the end portions of which legs are attached to said edge members, and an auxiliary resilient member attached to said flattened section, to add thereto a predetermined degree of additional resiliency.

9. The combination of a flexible sheet, with edge members attached to opposite edges 01 the sheet, and an easel in turn comprising a flexible resilient element of U-shaped cross-section, having a flattened section providing greater flexibility between less flexible angularly directed legs, the end portions of which legs are attached to said edge members, and an auxiliary resilient member comprising a flattened central section lying closely adjacent to said first flattened section, and end portions of U-shaped cross section nested with respect to the correspondingly shaped legs 0! said element, to add thereto a predetermined. degree of additional resiliency.

10. An easel comprising an upright portion and a base portion, said upright and base portions being channeled and connected together by a permanently deformed portion of greater flexibility, the freely extending end portions of said upright and base portions being adapted for connection with spaced portions of an article supported by said easel, and said upright portion comprising detachably connected sections, adapted when detached from each other and from the supported article to assume rectilinear shape and extend in parallelism for compactness 11. An easel comprising a flexible resilient element having a section of greater flexibility between angularly directed legs, and an auxiliary resilient member attached to said section of greater flexibility, to add thereto a predetermined degree of additional resiliency.

MORTON E. EVANS. WAYNE 8. EVANS.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

l'lORTON E. EVANS, ET AL.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 5, first column, lines 111,, 15, and 16, strike outthe words "and to nest closely adjacent to said resilient portion when the upright and base portions are not in use" and insert instead adapted to extend in alignment with each other when not in use and connected by a flattened resilient portion; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 25th day of July, A. D. 1959.

(Seal) Henry Van Arsdalo, Acting Commissioner of Patents.

to said flexible portion when the upright and base portions are not in use.

4. An easel, comprising an element of U-shaped cross section and having upright and base portions, adapted to extend in alignment with each other when not in use, together with an intermediate distorted flexible portion, and an extension of said base adapted to cooperate with a supporting surface to increase stability, and to nest closely adjacent to said flexible portion when the upright and base portions are not in use.

5. An easel, comprising an element of U-shaped cross section and having relatively upright and horizontal base portions, and to nest closely adjacent to said resilient portion when the upright and base portions are not in use and an extension of said base adapted to rest substantially uniformly upon a supporting surface to increase stability, and to nest closely adjacent to said resilient portion when the upright and base portions are not in use.

6. The combination of a flexible sheet, with edge members attached to opposite edges of the sheet, and an easel in turn comprising a flexible resilient element of curviform cross-section provided with a section of greater flexibility between angularly directed legs, the end portions of which are attached to said edge members, and a brace secured to one of said legs and extending angularly with respect to the other leg, and

- operative to engage a supporting surface to increase the stability of the easel and the sheet carried thereby.

7. The combination of a flexible sheet, with edge members attached to opposite edges of the sheet, and an easel in turn comprising a flexible resilient element having a section of greater flexibility between angularly directed legs, the end portions of which legs are attached to said edge members, and an auxiliary resilient member attached to said section 01 greater flexibility, to add thereto a predetermined degree of additional resiliency. V

8. The combination oi a flexible sheet, with edge members attached to opposite edges of the sheet, and an easel in turn comprising a flexible resilient element of U-shaped cross-section, having a flattened section providing greater flexibility between less flexible angularly directed legs, the end portions of which legs are attached to said edge members, and an auxiliary resilient member attached to said flattened section, to add thereto a predetermined degree of additional resiliency.

9. The combination of a flexible sheet, with edge members attached to opposite edges 01 the sheet, and an easel in turn comprising a flexible resilient element of U-shaped cross-section, having a flattened section providing greater flexibility between less flexible angularly directed legs, the end portions of which legs are attached to said edge members, and an auxiliary resilient member comprising a flattened central section lying closely adjacent to said first flattened section, and end portions of U-shaped cross section nested with respect to the correspondingly shaped legs 0! said element, to add thereto a predetermined. degree of additional resiliency.

10. An easel comprising an upright portion and a base portion, said upright and base portions being channeled and connected together by a permanently deformed portion of greater flexibility, the freely extending end portions of said upright and base portions being adapted for connection with spaced portions of an article supported by said easel, and said upright portion comprising detachably connected sections, adapted when detached from each other and from the supported article to assume rectilinear shape and extend in parallelism for compactness 11. An easel comprising a flexible resilient element having a section of greater flexibility between angularly directed legs, and an auxiliary resilient member attached to said section of greater flexibility, to add thereto a predetermined degree of additional resiliency.

MORTON E. EVANS. WAYNE 8. EVANS.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

l'lORTON E. EVANS, ET AL.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 5, first column, lines 111,, 15, and 16, strike outthe words "and to nest closely adjacent to said resilient portion when the upright and base portions are not in use" and insert instead adapted to extend in alignment with each other when not in use and connected by a flattened resilient portion; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 25th day of July, A. D. 1959.

(Seal) Henry Van Arsdalo, Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

